This Instrument You’ve Probably Never Heard Of Was Made For The ‘Super Mario Bros’ Theme

Today we learned there’s a reed instrument called a Sheng, invented in China around 1100 BC. We also learned it’s an instrument perfectly suited to play the Super Mario Bros. theme, with coin sound effects interjected for good measure. Who knew those inventors in the Han era were Mario fans?

Li Jin Li adorably plays the Mario music in the video above, playing the Sheng while alternately inhaling and exhaling to produce uninterrupted nostalgia. The Sheng also looks like a villain’s castle in a sci-fi set on a dystopian alien planet, so it’s got that going for it, which is nice.